Five students were awarded Barbados Scholarships, while 25 others were granted exhibitions in examinations this year.
The awardees were announced by Minister of Education, Technological and Vocational Training, Kay McConney, during a press briefing at the Erdiston Teachers’ Training College today.
Jasmine Humphrey and Riya Yeddula of Harrison College (HC); Terricka Bradshaw and Cherisse Codrington of Queen’s College (QC); and Adam Leon of the Barbados Community College (BCC) are scholarship winners. The HC and QC students achieved Grade One scores in all eight units of their CXC Caribbean Advance Proficiency Exams, while the BCC student attained a grade point average of 4.0 in that institution’s exams.
Harrison College got the lion’s share of the exhibitions – 13 – Najidah Austin, Jean-Pierre Blackett, Cherish-Amor Blades, Kyé Brathwaite, Sonali Chatrani, Wangari Dottin, Josiah Grannum, and Yeshua-Erchomai Hill, Kiara Hunte, Shomicha Jackson, Azaria Johnson, Allyah Sealy and Alexis Williams; while there were six from Queen’s College – Kaiéra Garnes, Zachary Gill, Éléna Scantlebury, Femi Vital, Samara Waithe, and McKenzie Yearwood. There were two each from The St. Michael School – Dominique Haynes and Jada Murray; Christ Church Foundation School – Rayna Clarke and Shaquan Forde; and the BCC – Rashon Barrow and Samuel Holder.
Last year, 12 scholarships and 21 exhibitions were awarded.
During her address, Minister McConney praised parents and teachers for assisting the students to get to this point. “I want to recognise you for the support you gave to these students, whether it is the late nights you stood up with them as they studied, whether it was the learning tools you had to provide them with in order for them to be here today, whether it was the moral support throughout the ups and downs that they had at school and with the examinations council and others. I want to say to you parents that they could not be here without you,” she said.
Ms. McConney further noted that as Barbados moves into a new era of education, it is important for schools to partner with parents, if children are to be prepared for the 21st Century and be able to excel and thrive.
She also encouraged parents whose children went onto university to stay back and be a part of a coalition of parents to assist in doing what was right for Barbados.
The Minister explained that while there were many students who excelled, there were many who did not do as well. “All the children belong to us. The ones who excelled, and the ones who are seeking to do better at this time,” she said.
Ms. McConney urged parents to bring all children “along the side”, and to “stand together for all our students”.
Meanwhile, Javani Alleyne received the inaugural Errol Walton Barrow Scholarship 2023 to pursue a Bachelor of Technology in Ocean Mapping.